On Fraser rec center, it’s time to move foward

At last Tuesday’s Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District Board of Directors’ meeting, a resident stood up and asked, “How can we get out of this?”

He and others want to turn back the clock, recall a bond that was passed by voters and stop the forward momentum on construction of a community recreation facility and improvements to the Pole Creek Golf Course.

But going back in time is not an option.

The $19.5 million municipal bond has already been sold to investors and more than $1 million has been spent by the rec district.

“Getting out of this,” if it’s even possible, would be a multimillion dollar undertaking.

In the state’s election code, there is a well-defined process for recalling an elected official, including deadlines, petition guidelines and associated costs. In fact, recalling an elected official is something of a small town, political pastime with annual examples set across the country.

But, from our research, there are not similar guidelines for recalling a bond election and no precedent that we could find in any other town across the nation.

Perhaps there are no guidelines, because lawmakers imagine no one would be so foolish.

If we were so reactionary as to have the election invalidated at his point, the least of the ramifications would be our plummeting bond rating.

In the future, any project in Grand County would have a difficult and expensive time getting funding again through the municipal bond system. Our financial reputation would be shot.

To answer the concerned citizen’s question, “How can we get out of this?” We cannot.

This ship has sailed and the best we can do at this point is to sail it properly. We can attend meetings and participate in the decision-making process.

The time to protest the bond passage was during the November election. There were numerous public meetings leading up to the bond election where questions could have been asked and answered. If you could not attend, each one of those meetings was covered in the pages of this newspaper.

During that election, voters approved the bond. Some have questioned those results, but when one resident took the election to court ” the lawsuit was dismissed in District Court for lack of evidence.

Voters were again given a chance to speak during the Fraser Rec Board elections on May 6.

Several long-time members of the board were not re-elected and they were replaced with members who the public believed would watch out for the community’s best interests as we go forward with the enhancement projects.

Those who are rumbling about a recall of the bond or invalidation of the election ” if either of those things are even possible ” should put their efforts elsewhere.

It’s time to move forward.

It’s time to stop wondering how we can make sure these dollars are not spent and instead make sure the taxpayer dollars approved last November are well spent.